


Can We Get Back to Politics (Please?)

by pdameron



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Politics, Angst, Coming Out, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, it's basically a West Wing AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 07:48:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6043819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pdameron/pseuds/pdameron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“The new guy. The Deputy Director of Communications? His name is Finn, and he’s a dear friend. Which means that you aren’t allowed to fuck with him.”<br/>Poe sputtered. “What’s that supposed to mean?”<br/>Rey ignored him. “We have a staff meeting, where you will meet Finn and not make an ass of yourself.”</p><p>(or, alternatively: the one where they work at the White House)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can We Get Back to Politics (Please?)

“Dameron. Dameron. POE.”

Poe’s head shot up from where he’d been resting it on the half-done paperwork on his desk.

“Jess, can’t you see I’m busy reevaluating my life choices?” He asked, gesturing at the sea of files scattered across his office. At Jess’s unimpressed glare, he groaned, standing up.

“Alright, fine. What do you want?” He checked his watch. 11:00. Where the hell had his day gone? He hadn’t even had dinner. Or lunch, now that he thought about it.

“We have a briefing with the President. She’s gonna head over to the residence soon.”

At this, he straightened his tie, tucked in his shirt, and started brushing off any imagined lint from his suit. President Organa deserved nothing but the utmost professionalism, even at 11:00 at night.

He and Jess made their way through the bullpen, waving their goodbyes to the assistants and interns who were heading out for the night. They arrived outside the oval office and were, as usual, asked to wait until the President was ready for them, which usually meant that she was on the phone with either some dignitary or her ornery husband.

Rey came in shortly after them, looking harried.

“Tough day with the press corps?”

She sighed, looking at Poe exasperatedly. “When _isn’t_ it a tough day with the press corps?”

Lando poked his head out of his office. “Is it about that time?”

Before any of them could respond, the door to the oval office swung open, and they were let in by the secret service.

The President glanced up from her desk, holding a finger up as she finished filling out some paperwork. Once all the I’s had been dotted and the T’s crossed, she stood up, leaning against her desk.

“Alright, gang. What have you got for me?”

 

-

 

By the time Poe was ready to leave, it was past midnight. Unsurprisingly, Jess was still in her office, writing a speech for whatever the next address was. Probably something about education. Or was it that dumb thing about corn farmers?

Jess looked up at Poe’s knock, and, seeing his coat and backpack, gestured for him to sit down on the couch in the corner.

“I’m almost done here, sorry. I didn’t even know there was a Corn Farmer’s Guild two days ago, and now I’m just about ready to murder anyone who even _likes_ that fucking vegetable.” Corn farmers, then.

“Corn is a grain.”

Jess flipped him off, then paused. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah. Jess, how did you make it through Yale without knowing what food group corn was in?”

She gave him her most withering glare. “I’m sorry, I missed that class in law school,” She looked back at her laptop, annoyed. “Shit. Now I have to proofread _again_ to make sure I didn’t say vegetable.”

“Tomorrow.”

“Come on, Poe it’ll take five minutes - “  
“Tomorrow. Come on, Jess, it’s 12:30 in the morning. We have to be in at 6. It can wait.”

Eventually Jess relented and they were finally, finally, on their way out.

“A grain, really? Then why do people always serve it with peas?”

“I don’t know, Jess. Take it up with the people who work in the mess.”

They were just about to leave the bullpen when someone called for Jess.

“Hey, the new guy’s coming in tomorrow. Don’t forget.”

“Gotcha. Goodnight!”

Poe looked between the two women, confused. “New guy?”

Jess sighed, pulling him along. “My new deputy. I’ve been running the department by myself for the past couple months, remember? Since Snap left?” Poe nodded. “Yeah, well I finally found a good replacement. Just in time, too. I’ve been losing my mind without someone to share the load with these damn speeches.”

Poe nodded thoughtfully. If Jess liked this new guy enough to hire him, then surely he wouldn’t be all that bad. She didn’t like anyone, generally.

 

-

 

Poe walked in at 6:00 the next morning, only to have BB pounce on him. He’d hired her to be his assistant based on gut instinct, seeing as she hadn’t actually had the credentials at the time. But she was loyal, and a damn good worker, and he adored her. She was like a little sister, at this point.

“What’s this about a new guy? Why didn’t you tell me? Have you met him? Do you not like him, it that why you didn’t mention it? Come on Poe, spill.” Of course, like most sisters, she was nosy as hell.

“I only found out about it myself last night, _Beatrice_. Besides, last I checked, I don’t actually have to report to you with office gossip.”

BB scowled at him. “Fine. Suit yourself. Rey’s waiting for you in your office.”

Poe paused, glancing behind him. Usually when Rey was in his office, it was to yell at him about PR management or being too glib during interviews.This couldn’t be good.

“What if, hypothetically, I was stuck in traffic and couldn’t get here for another 20 minutes?”

BB smirked. “Well then, hypothetically, you could have been polite to me. Rey!” she called, “Poe’ll be right in!”

Poe groaned, bracing himself before he opened the door.

“Ah, Dameron. Come in. Close the door.” Rey spun around in his desk chair, looking solemn.

“....You do realize this is _my_ office right? And that’s _my_ desk?” At Rey’s raised eyebrow, he sighed. “Alright. How may I be of service, O great and powerful press secretary?”

She glared at him. “Listen up, Dameron. Finn is a good friend, and I expect you to be on your best behavior.”

“Finn?”

She rolled her eyes. “The new guy. Deputy director of communications? His name is Finn, and he’s a really great guy. Which means that you aren’t allowed to fuck with him.”

He sputtered. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She didn’t answer, just got up to open the door from behind him. “We have a staff meeting, where you will meet Finn and _not_ make an ass of yourself.”

Poe went to join her, when he saw a person he didn’t recognize come into the bullpen, looking around nervously. He stared. The man was _beautiful_. He followed Rey absently, so distracted that he didn’t notice BB heading toward them with a giant stack of files. He knocked right into her, scattering the papers all over the floor. He cursed.

“Sorry, BB, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He knelt down to help her pick up the mess. Rey rolled her eyes and kept walking, telling Poe she’d meet him there. He was reaching to get a paper that had slid under a desk when a throat cleared behind him. He looked up to see the handsome man from before standing there.

“Need some help?” he said, blushing slightly. Why was he- _oh_. That would be because Poe was basically putting his ass on display for all to see with the way he was bent over. Poe felt his own face flush as he stood up hastily.

“I think we’re good, thanks.” he looked over to see BB pick up the last of the papers, before giving him a knowing look. “So, um - what are you doing here?” He winced. “Not that you shouldn’t be here! I’m sure you’re supposed to be. I just haven’t seen you around before, is all. I’m gonna stop now.”

The man laughed. It was a really nice laugh, Poe noted faintly. “Today’s my first day. I’m Finn, Finn Trooper.”

Poe’s eyes widened. So much for not making an ass of himself. “I’m Poe Dameron. The deputy chief of staff. Is me. That’s my job.” He cringed.

“Good to meet you Poe.” Finn smiled warmly, evidently amused by Poe’s floundering.

“Good to meet you too, Finn,” he stood there for a while, just smiling at Finn, before he came to his senses and remembered that it was definitely rude to stare, especially when you’ve just met. Poe cleared his throat. “So, are you headed to the staff meeting? We can head over together. Or you could go by yourself. That’s fine too.”

“I’d appreciate it if you could show me the way. This place is a bit of a maze.”

Poe grinned, gesturing for the man to follow him. When they finally caught up to the rest of the staff, Jess took over introductions. As Finn made polite small talk with the other senior staff, Poe took a moment to just look at him. He was gorgeous. His dark skin picked up the light from the open window so perfectly, making him look like he was practically glowing. He was strong, that was for sure. He had a thick chest, and his suit did nothing to hide how toned his arms were. And good lord, _that ass_.

He was so lost in thought, musing on how perfectly full Finn’s lips were, that he missed Jess’s assessing glance over at him. He missed her eyes light up with realization, missed the mischievous smirk that spread over her face.

“Finn, don’t be so nervous. I’m sure she’ll adore you,” Rey was saying, trying to calm Finn’s anxiety.

“Who, President Organa?” Poe chimed in. “She’s incredible. You’ll love her, Finn. She’s brilliant. Intimidating, sure, but brilliant.”

“Poe worships the ground she walks on. It’s pathetic, really.” Rey remarked, smirking at Poe’s offended expression.

“I do not _worship_ her. It’s more of a healthy respect and admiration.” He paused, thinking. “That being said, she _is_ perfect and _does_ deserve to be worshipped.”

They all laughed, and Lando poked his head out of the oval office to call them in. He smiled when he saw Finn. He immediately grabbed the younger man into a hug.

“You must be Finn! I’ve heard great things from Jess.” He pulled back, looking Finn over. “But she didn’t say what a handsome devil you were!” He gave a gobsmacked Finn a wink. “I’m looking forward to working with you, buddy. Welcome to the team.”

Lando clapped Finn on the shoulder before heading following the rest of the senior staff into the oval office.

Finn looked a little awestruck. He looked at Poe, puzzled.

Poe laughed. “Yeah, Lando’s really something. I swear, he could have gotten this job on charm alone, even if he hadn’t had the credentials.We’re all a bit in love, to be honest.”

Finn grinned, and they walked into the office together.

“Finn!” the President called, walking toward him. They all laughed as Finn froze, a deer caught in the headlights. “I’ve so looked forward to meeting you. Jess sent me the work you did for Secretary Ackbar. You’ve got a real talent for speechwriting, son.”

Finn just stared at the President.

“...you okay there, bud?” Lando prompted.

“Oh! I - um - Thank you, Madam President? You’ve got a real talent for... being president.” Finn blushed, letting out a quiet groan. It was clear that he was trying very hard not to slap his palm over his face in embarrassment.

The president chuckled, then turned to Jess. “He’s sweet. We should keep him.”

Poe beamed as Rey let out a whoop, pulling her friend into a an excited hug. “See Finn? I told you she’d like you!”

Lando raised a brow at Rey. “Could we at least attempt to maintain professionalism in the oval office?”

Rey quieted down, still grinning. “Sorry, Lando. My apologies, Madam President.”

The president waved her off. “Go get Finn ready for a press briefing. I’m sure the reporters will have some questions for our new deputy communications director.”

Rey shuffled out a star struck Finn, the rest of the staff following soon after.

-

 

Finn completely charmed the press corps, just as Poe knew he would, and soon enough he was settling into the chaos that was the White House.

Poe had just gotten out of a grueling meeting with some lobbyists, and was looking forward to passing out at his desk for a while before Jess inevitably came to bother him about spelling or something.

He was walking to his office, when he saw BB catch sight of him and head in his direction. Shit. He sped up, rushing into his office, all but slamming the door behind him.

That should do it. BB knew better than to barge into his office, especially when she _knew_ that he’d been in meetings all morning and needed, nay, _deserved_ a break. He sighed, collapsing into his chair.

“Hey Poe, me and the interns were talking -”

“BB why?” Poe whined, banging his head on his desk. “I have spent all morning fantasizing about this nap. What is so important that it’s worth cutting into my - “ he checked his watch - “now 28 minute nap?”

“We’re worried about Finn.”

His head snapped up so quickly that BB actually startled. “What? Why?”

“His assistant says he hasn’t been home in two days.”

He stood up briskly, grabbing his coat. “BB, tell Jess I’ll be out for a while, so she should bother you about how to spell ‘verisimilitude’.”

He walked across the bullpen until he came to Finn’s office. He glanced through the window to see Finn typing away, with at least five empty coffee cups scattered across his desk.

Poe opened the door without knocking. “Let’s go get lunch.”

Finn looked up, dark rings clearly visible under his eyes. “Thanks, but I really have to finish this second draft. Raincheck?”

“Take a break, Finn. The draft will be there when we get back.”

“Yeah, but - “

“Finn. Take a break.”

Finn sighed before getting up to walk with Poe. He went to turn down the hall, but paused when Poe headed toward the exit. “We’re not going to the mess?”

Poe gave him an unimpressed look. “When was the last time you left this building?”

Finn looked at him blankly. “What day is it?”

“Exactly.”

They headed down the street to an old little pub that Poe loved. When they walked in, the old woman who owned the place, Maz, ran over to give him a hug.

“Poe Dameron, it has been far too long since you came around. Is the White House really more important than my burgers?”

Poe paused. “Is this a trick question?”

Maz ignored him, peering over at Finn. “Who’s this, a new boyfriend?”

Finn gave her his most charming smile. It was the one he used on the press corps, to great effect. “I’m Finn, ma’am. I work with Poe.”

Maz smiled at the dark-skinned man before she looked at Poe. “He’s a cute one, honey. Good choice.”

Poe groaned, his face turning beet red. “Maz, _please_. Finn and I aren’t dating. Can we go sit, or would you like to embarrass me some more?”

She waved them off, and as soon as they were seated, Poe slammed his head on the table.

“I am so sorry. Maz is...an acquired taste.”

He looked up to see Finn watching him thoughtfully. “What?”

“I didn’t know you were gay.”

Poe glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, well. I don’t like to publicize it. We already get enough shit from crazy conservatives. The last thing we need is a big piece on the President’s ‘gay agenda’.”

Finn was quiet for a time, even after their food came.

“Finn? You’re okay with this, right?”

“Yeah, of course. It’s just,” he paused, searching for words. “It’s not fair that you have to hide.”

Poe shrugged. “Yeah, it sucks a bit. But I’m a pretty private person anyway. Besides, I can’t even remember the last time I went on a date, let alone had a boyfriend.”

“But what if you do meet someone? What if you wanted to get married one day? The president can’t -”

“Finn, it was my decision. No one forced me to keep this quiet.”

“Yeah, but Poe - “

“Don’t worry about it, bud. Besides, _I’m_ the one who brought _you_ here for a talk, not the other way around.”

Finn tilted his head, confused.

Poe gave him a hard look. “You’ve been working way too much. And coming from me, that’s saying something.”

Finn looked down at his plate, picking at his fries. “I’m doing the best I can, Poe. I don’t want to let anyone down.”

“Finn, look at me,” Poe waited until he had the younger man’s full attention. “You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. You’re not gonna lose your job if you take a break, if you go home and rest. You’re part of the team, bud. And being a team means that we take care of each other. So this is me, taking care of you.”

Finn swallowed, breaking eye contact. “Look, Poe, it’s not that simple -”

“Yes it is. Finn, no one has any doubts about you,” Poe reached over and took the younger man’s hand. “You’re stuck with us, buddy, so get used to it. So quit trying to work yourself into the ground, okay?”

Finn gave Poe a small smile. “Okay, Poe. Thanks.”

 

-

“Does it feel like this every time?” Finn whispered to Jess, watching raptured as the President delivered the State of the Union address.

“Oh yeah. Watching the President speak your words is…” Jess trailed off, lost for words.

“Yeah.”

Everyone was paying attention to the President, but Poe had been subtly staring at Finn for the better part of half an hour. He looked incredible in his tuxedo, and his smile when Poe had helped him with his bow tie….But that wasn’t why he’d been staring. The look on Finn’s face was enchanting. He was staring at the President with wonder, in awe at the sight of her reading his speech. His eyes were bright with emotion, and he hadn’t let go of Jess’s hand once. Poe was mesmerized.

Poe didn’t feel particularly bad about tuning out the speech: they’d all read it several times, giving input wherever they could. (“Finn, if you ask me about paragraph 34 one more time I am going to bash your head in with this desk lamp, and I’m pretty sure Rey will help me hide the body.”) He was sure the General would forgive him for not giving her his full attention.

He grunted quietly when Rey jabbed her elbow into his side. “Wanna be less obvious, there, lover boy?” Poe blushed. Perhaps he wasn’t being as subtle as he’d thought.

After the speech, the senior staff had their own little party in Rey’s office.

“Here’s to Finn, for his first presidential speech!”

They all cheered at Rey’s toast, and Finn was passed around for hugs and kisses on cheeks. Lando bowed out to go check on the President, and then it was just the four of them, sitting on the floor of Rey’s office, getting drunk.

“And then Finn frowns at me, looking like he’d murdered my puppy or something, and says ‘Rey, I’m not on the rugby team. I don’t even play a sport. I lied.’”

Poe and Jess dissolved into laughter, as Finn blushed. “You pretended to be on the rugby team for three months?”

Rey continued: “Then, he says, ‘You looked at me like no one had. Like I was actually someone worth talking to.’ What does that even mean, Finn?” Jess and Rey kept giggling, but Poe’s laughter faded at that.

Soon after, the girls fell asleep, practically cuddling on the ground under Rey’s desk.

Poe scooted over until he and Finn were pressed together, leaning against the wall.

“Finn? Why did you say that to Rey? You know the whole -”

“Because it was true.”

Poe started, looking at Finn in shock. “What?”

Finn paused for a moment, staring at a spot on the wall across from them. Then, he spoke: “I grew up in a foster home, you know. The people that ran it were nice enough, but we were pretty isolated for the most part. When I was in high school, I was that quiet kid who sat in the back. No one talked to me because I was always in these fraying, tattered old clothes from Goodwill, and they had better things to do than feel bad for me. When I got a scholarship to Brown, I was so excited to finally prove that I was more than some poor, shy kid with no parents. So when I met Rey, and she assumed I was on the rugby team because of my build, I didn’t correct her. Being an athlete was cool, right? And I wanted her to be my friend. Pretty stupid, I know.”

Poe shook his head, taking Finn’s hand. “That’s the least stupid thing I’ve ever heard, buddy. And you know what’s cool? Writing the State of the Union address.”

Finn chuckled, then sighed, leaning his head on Poe’s shoulder. He was clearly drifting. “I’m glad I met you, Poe Dameron,” he yawned, before falling almost immediately into sleep, as only a drunk person could.

Poe told himself that the warmth in his chest was from the alcohol, and not Finn’s confession. He wasn’t fooled.

 

-

 

Poe, Rey, and Finn were all sitting in the mess, debating the merits of being a Jedi or a Sith.

“Okay, but hear me out: lightning hands.”

“Poe, all of your arguments can’t be lightning hands.”

“Yeah but Rey, what’s the point of learning how to use the force if you can’t even have lightning hands?”

“Poe, Lance and Darth Valkyrie brought balance to the galaxy through the power of fatherly love. That has to count for something.” Finn pointed out.

“Yeah, but Finn, hear me out: Lightning hands.”

They were still laughing when a group of young men came into the mess, talking loudly. Poe had heard they were hiring some new interns: these must be them. He was about to get up to introduce himself when the conversation came into earshot.

“Have you seen those pictures from when Organa was in the Force? Oh man, she was one fine piece of ass.”

“I saw some pictures from when she was undercover with the Jabba Confederation...let’s just say I can see why General Solo was willing to put up with that feminazi bullshit she used to spout left and right.”

At their loud cackling, Poe saw red. Rey went to grab his arm, but he shook her off. He took a moment to size the group up. They looked like they had come right out of a catalog: tall, blonde, built. He knew the type: privileged ivy league hotshots who spent more time in a frat house than a library. He knew that a trim, 5’9” latino man was hardly intimidating to most people, especially not guys like that. Nevertheless: “You’re fired.”

The three men turned to face Poe, confused. “Sorry, what?”

“You heard me. Go pack up your desks. You’re fired.”

They stared at Poe, nonplussed.

“Who the fuck do you think you are? This is the goddamned White House. In this building, we give the President the respect she deserve,” he seethed. “You are surrounded by people who have worked their entire lives to get to this point, and this is how you treat this opportunity? This is how you choose to behave? I don’t give a shit about your politics, but we don’t mock the President. Ever.”

They all glanced at each other before chuckling. The tallest gave Poe a gentle shove. “Alright, hotshot. You’ve had your fun. Move along Shorty. Go back to washing the dishes, amigo.”

At this, Finn leapt up, stalking toward the intern with clenched fists. He grabbed the young man by the front of his shirt. “What the hell did you just say?”

Rey grabbed his arm, pulling him back. She gave the group an unimpressed look.

“So, gents. What’s going on over here?”

They might not have recognized Poe: he’d been at the office since 6:00 the previous morning, and had long since given up maintaining appearances. His jacket and tie were lost somewhere in his office, he hadn’t shaved, and the gel he normally used to tame his curls was fighting a losing battle.

But everyone knew Rey. She was the press secretary, for God’s sake. She was the voice of the White House.

“Uh - MIss Skywalker, we didn’t -”

“Didn’t what? Didn’t mean to disrespect the deputy chief of staff? or the President?”

They all stared at Poe. He grinned, narrowing his eyes.

“Like I said. You’re fired, _amigos_.”

Rey escorted the interns out of the mess.

Finn was being suspiciously quiet. Poe looked over to see Finn staring at him.

“That joke about latinos didn’t bother you?”

Poe shrugged. “Sure it did. But I grew up with entitled assholes like that.”

“And you think the President didn’t?”

“That’s different. She’s the _President_ , Finn. She doesn’t deserve that kind of bullshit.”

“Yeah, but Poe, neither do you.”

He smiled. “Well then, it’s a good thing I have my knight in shining armor to defend me, huh buddy?”

Finn rolled his eyes, but Poe could see his cheeks getting red.

He swung his arm around the younger man, pulling him along. “Come on. I’m sure BB’s found something to complain about by now.”

 

-

 

“Poe Dameron, you are an idiot.”

Poe glanced up from his briefing, furrowing his brow. “I am? Because these diplomas on the wall would imply otherwise.”

Jess crossed her arms, unimpressed. “DId you, by any chance, call Governor Hux a “tight-assed, arrogant Nazi sympathizer with a penchant for ugly suits?”

Poe blinked. “Probably. That sounds like something I’d say. I mean, he is a tight-assed, arrogant Nazi sympathizer and his suits are ugly.”

“They’re Armani.”

“Okay, then they’re expensive ugly suits. I’m sorry, what’s the problem here? It’s not like you disagree.”

“No I don’t. But you called Hux a tight-assed, arrogant Nazi sympathizer while you were talking to Anna Gordan.”

Ah. “She printed it?”

She slapped a copy of _The Baltimore Sun_ on his desk. He winced.

“Okay, so maybe I should have clarified that I was speaking off the record. Look, you’re blowing this out of proportion. It’s a short piece, and last I checked, Hux was not governor of Maryland.”

“Poe, you and your big mouth are gonna be the death of me - “

“No, Jess, listen. People are not going to make one offhand remark into some political incident.”

“Poe?” BB poked her head into his office. “Governor Hux’s office is on line 1.”

Poe groaned.

“Shit.”

 

-

 

“Lando, why do I have to do the Q&A? Make Finn do it, he’s new.”

“Poe, I’ve been here for four months.” Fin objected.

“Yeah, well, we’ve been here for eighteen, so.”

“Poe,” Lando interrupted, “You should be honored to be invited to speak at Georgetown University. It’s a great school. Besides, they’ll respond well to you.”

“And why’s that?”

“You have a lot in common with the average college student,” Lando held up a hand, ticking off his fingers as he spoke. “Immature, cocky, passive aggressive, irresponsible - “

“This is about the Hux thing, isn’t it.”

Lando simply raised an eyebrow. “The Q&A starts at 8. Dress nice.”

-

 

“Finn, I really don’t want to do this. Why don’t you do this? You’re cute, and new, and no one ever prints the stupid things you say.”

“That’s because I don’t say stupid things.”

Poe glared at him. Finn just laughed, straightening Poe’s tie. “You’ll be fine, Dameron. Just be your normal, charming self. I liked you after talking to you thirty seconds. I’m sure they’ll like you after 2 hours.”

“You think I’m charming?”

“You think I’m cute?”

Before Poe could think of a response, someone tapped him on the shoulder. “Mr. Dameron? We’re ready for you.”

“Go get ‘em, Poe.” Finn gave him a wink and went to sit with Jess in the audience.

He walked out onto the stage to bright lights and thunderous applause.

He spoke briefly on the campaign, and the policies the White House was implementing. Then, they jumped into the Q&A. Most of them were easy enough, and the ones that were hard were usually on things he wasn’t allowed to talk about anyway. Some, though, were interesting.

“Mr. Dameron, why did you come to work for the President? What made you agree to the job?”

Poe went to answer, but stopped himself.

“You know, I’ve never thought about it.” He grinned at the audience’s laughter. “You laugh, but it’s true. When Lando Calrissian called me up, and said ‘Hey, Senator Organa wants you to help her run for president’, it took me less than five minutes to quit my job.”

More laughter. Poe laughed along, before he sobered.

“Why did I agree to work for the President? Because she’s my hero.” The audience quieted at this. “Most people don’t know this, but I’ve known the President since I was a kid. She and my parents all fought together in the war against Palpatine. She and General Solo would come over to my house sometimes for dinner, and I would spend the whole evening staring at her and badgering her with questions. I was obsessed. I used to draw her pictures and everything. You know, those terrible ones that parents look at like they’re Monets?” he smiled fondly, thinking of the kind smile on the President’s face as she looked down at him. Back then she was Miss Leia, the coolest lady on Earth, besides his mom, of course. “My mom is the reason I wanted to become a pilot, to join the Air Force. But Leia Organa is the reason I went into politics after I was discharged. She makes me wanna be a better person, the kind of person she would be proud of. She’s gonna change the world, you know. And if I have any say in it, I’ll be right by her side when she does.”

The rest of the Q&A went by without a hitch, and before he knew it he was saying his farewells, and in his car with Jess and Finn.

“You know, you didn’t have to come to this thing.”

Jess rolled her eyes, “Please, you and I both know that your stage fright is the stuff of legends. Don’t think I didn’t see you looking over at us when you got nervous.”

“What about: ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Poe. You did great, Poe. You were very charming, Poe.”

“You _were_ very charming.” Finn leaned forward from where he was sitting in the back seat to give Poe a kiss on the cheek. “What you said about the President was very sweet. _You_ were very sweet.”

Poe stared at Finn. “Oh.”

Jess and Finn laughed, and Poe spent the rest of the car ride looking out the window with a stupid grin on his face.

 

-

 

Field trips to the White House were usually Poe’s arena. Poe always volunteered to do the tour because kids were adorable and the thought of Jess trying to entertain children was laughable.

Rey said that he volunteered because he was a loser who took any excuse to talk about how great the President was.

Lando said he didn’t give a shit about why Poe volunteered, as long as he kept charming the chaperones and middle aged teachers.

On this particular morning, Poe had a meeting with Ambassador Tekku for the majority of the morning. So, Finn was his replacement.

“I don’t understand. Why the hell were you going to give a tour anyway? You’re Deputy Chief of Staff. Don’t you have better things to do?”

Poe laughed. “It’s not like I do it all the time. Most of these kids live in foster homes, or orphanages, or in shelters with their families. The schools they go to are struggling to stay open. We just want these kids to know that we believe in them, that the _President_ believes in them.”

Finn stared at him. “I haven’t heard about this program before.”

Poe felt himself coloring, looking away. “It’s a new thing. Something we should have started a long time ago.”

“Who’s idea was it?”

“Oh, you know, we all tossed it around, gave our input.”

“Poe. Did you start this program because of what I told you that night?”

He looked up at Finn, trying to gauge his reaction. The man was unreadable. Poe sighed. In for a penny, in for a pound and all that. “You told me that people didn’t want to talk to that poor kid in the back of the room. Well, now they’ll know that we want to talk to them. That we want to hear what they have to say,” When Finn didn’t respond, he started to get nervous. “Look, Finn, if I overstepped -”

He was interrupted when Finn pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you.”

Poe smiled softly, burrowing his face into Finn’s neck.

They pulled back after a few moments, both their eyes shining. “All right. Go entertain some eight year olds. I’ll stop by after my meeting.”

A few hours later, he was regretting stopping by after his meeting. Finn was sitting on the floor of the oval office, talking to the kids while they were waiting for the President to get back from a meeting. He was sitting on the floor of the oval office, _the oval office_ , with two kids on his lap, a third clambering onto his back, and he was laughing. It was arguably the cutest goddamned thing he’d ever seen.

Things didn’t get better when the President finally joined them. Finn stayed with the kids, held their hands as they asked questions, and gave the nervous ones whispered pep-talks before it was their turn to speak. When it was time for the kids to leave, he gave each individual child a hug, and a promise to visit their school soon. Poe and the President waved their goodbyes from the oval office.

The President looked over at stricken Poe’s face, and started laughing. Cackling, more like it.

“Not at word, Madam President. Not a word.”

 

-

 

“Do you know what Lando’s meeting with Secretary Ackbar is about?”

“No, he didn’t say.”

“Okay, then do you know if Rey is gonna brief the press on General Solo’s trip to Bespin?”

“Is that news? Is visiting a city news?”

“It is when he’s giving a speech on public safety and healthcare.”

“Oh. Then sorry, no.”

“Do you know if the President has signed off on that reconnaissance mission yet?”

“Nope.”

Finn paused, looking up from his notebook. “What exactly do you do here, Poe?”

“You know, it’s never been made clear to me.”

Finn rolled his eyes. He got up from where he’d been sitting across from Poe. “Lunch later?”

“Unless I find someone better looking,” Poe winked.

Finn scowled, about to respond when Poe’s phone rang. He grinned, waving Finn off.

“Poe Dameron.”

“ _Hey, did Finn leave yet?_ ” Poe pulled the phone away from his ear, taking a moment to look at it in confusion. “....Jess, if you had waited thirty seconds, you would have seen him walk into his office. You know, the one right next to yours?”

_“Too risky. What if he saw me coming over?”_

“Why would that matter?”

_“Is he there or not, Dameron?”_

“No.” She hung up on him. Less than a minute later, she was walking into his office, not bothering to knock. She slammed the door behind her.  
“We need to talk about this Finn thing.”

“Really? I thought his speech draft for the ambassador’s visit was pretty good, actually.”

“Don’t get cute with me.”

Poe sighed. “Jess, I don’t want to -”  
“Talk about it? Tough shit.”

“Look, not now, okay? I’ve got a meeting with Lando,” he went to leave, but Jess blocked his way.

“Lando can wait. I’m worried about you, Poe. You’re _pining_ , for Christ’s sake.”

“What - I’m not - Finn and I are - “

Jess just looked at him, unimpressed. “Poe, you look at him like he’s a glass of water and you’ve been wandering through the desert for twelve years.”

Poe blushed, looking at his hands. He did want Finn. He had since the first time he saw the man. “Jess, it’s not that simple.”

“Isn’t it? You know he’d be up for it”

“Yeah but Jess, Finn doesn’t deserve that. He’s not just a one night stand. He’s _Finn_.”

And wasn’t that the problem? Finn was….well, he was Finn. Finn, who still blushed when Lando complimented his work, who got teary-eyed when the President read his speeches. Finn, who got tipsy after two glasses of wine. Finn, who listened to little kids when he talked to them like they were the only people in the room. Finn, who thought Poe was sweet, and charming. Finn, who didn’t put up with his crap, who went toe-to-toe with Poe in every debate, in all his banter. Finn, who was possibly the best person Poe had ever known.

Jess stared at him. “Holy shit. Holy _shit_.”

Poe started. “What?”

“Do you _love_ him?”

“What? No. That’s - no.”

“You do. Oh my god.” She turned around and ripped the door open. For a split second he was sure that she was going to shout this revelation to the entire bullpen. Instead, she called for BB. Poe’s assistant came in, bemused. Jess closed the door and pinned her with a piercing stare.

“BB. Did you know Poe was in love with Finn?”

BB cocked a brow at Jess. “Did you _not_ know?”

Jess threw her hands up in dismay. “No one tells me anything anymore,” She glared at Poe. “Some best friend you are. How did you manage to go and fall in love without talking to me about it?”

Poe felt his cheeks getting hot. Jess was ruining his very logical and manageable plan of ignoring his feelings until they went away. What kind of person actually came to terms with their feelings and acted on them?

“Poe. You’ve got to come to terms with your feelings. You love Finn, and you know it. Get your act together.”

 

-

 

Poe didn’t get his act together, unsurprisingly.

That didn’t stop him from getting closer to Finn. They got lunch everyday, and dinner most of the time; they had countless staff meetings, always sharing knowing looks or raised brows; they stuck together during public events, when they should have been fussing over the President: every moment spent together proved to Poe that he was a complete goner.

Rey said their bromance was the stuff of legend. Poe thought, privately, that their bromance was going to send him to an early grave.

Things started going to shit around the holidays, as they always seemed to do.

Christmas Time around the White House was always a nightmare: bands and choirs singing in the lobby; wreaths _everywhere_ ; overly festive assistants and interns; and, of course, religious extremists writing even _more_ aggressive letters about having a Jewish First Husband. Even Poe, ever the optimist, couldn’t find it in himself to stay constantly cheerful.

Although, it was hilarious to see the interns agonize over the clashing of the Hanukkah colors against the Christmas colors. Jess had been forced to write a small memo for the press as a result: some of the decorative trees in the public areas would be silver, not green, so that they might suit the aesthetic of the Hanukkah colors. It was incredible, the hoops they had to go through sometimes.

BB had the brilliant idea to plant mistletoe throughout the staff areas, and now Poe and everyone else were constantly on edge, dashing through doorways and avoiding loitering in the halls. He’d already had to kiss Lando, Jess’s secretary, two interns, and, to his horror, General Solo. The President had been present at that last one, and she’d laughed so hard she’d cried. Although... kissing Lando had been an experience, to say the least. After Poe told Jess about it, he noticed that every member of the senior staff had purposely found themselves under the mistletoe with Lando, and left the experience in a pleased daze.

Christmas Eve came, and with it the White House holiday party. Although it wasn’t really a party: it was more of a ridiculously opulent gala for the political elite. Nonetheless, Poe and the rest of the senior staff were forced to partake, dressing in expensive tuxes and dresses and being forced to interact with _politicians_.

Poe was walking over to check on Lando when he was grabbed by Rey.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Senator Plutt, Poe and I have some urgent… um… press things...to discuss.” She turned to Poe, hissing, “Pretend to talk to me.”

“But I am talking to you.”

She glared at him. “About something important. If I have to listen to Plutt talk about the worthlessness of food stamps, I will be arrested for murder.”

Poe laughed. “If it makes you feel better, I was just talking to Congressman Tarkin. He was telling me all about his grandfather. You know, the crazy megalomaniac the President fought during the war.”

She sighed. “Thank god for the open bar.”

Poe grinned. “Speaking of -” he grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, saluting Rey with his flute before downing the whole glass in one go.

He turned to look for Finn, only to see Congresswoman Kun flirting with the younger man.

He watched as she spilled her champagne all over Finn, as an excuse to (blatantly) cop a feel. He watched her wipe at Finn’s chest, and felt jealousy surge through him. He left Rey with Jess, then headed over, grabbing Finn’s arm.

“Finn, thank god. Jess is freaking out over a typo in the President’s speech. If you’ll excuse us, Congresswoman.”

He practically dragged Finn away from Kun, not feeling any regret in the slightest at interrupting her seduction.

“Damn, she got you good, didn’t she?” he said, having pulled Finn from the ballroom into a hallway to get a better look at his ruined suit.

Finn sighed, running his hands down his soaked front. He took off his wet jacket, and Poe swore he stopped breathing.

His shirt, his _white_ _shirt_ , was completely soaked. Poe could see _everything_. And what a view it was. He was so distracted by Finn’s hard nipples that he missed what the man said next.

“Sorry, what?”

Finn had been busy with his jacket, and apparently hadn’t noticed Poe ogling, thank God. “I said, thanks for saving me from Kun. She’s a nice lady, but a boring conversationalist.”

“Oh yeah, no problem. There seems to be an abundance of boring conversationalists tonight. It’s practically an epidemic.”

Finn was shivering, and he was wet, and he didn’t have a jacket. Hey, Poe had a jacket. Interesting.

“Here, take my jacket.”

“Oh, Poe, I couldn’t -”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re gonna freeze in that wet shirt.” At Poe’s insistence, Finn took the jacket, slipping it on.

They were heading back into the ballroom when Finn paused. “Damn, my jacket. I put it down in the hall. Hang on, I’ll be right back.”

Poe waited in the doorway, leaning against the wall. Finn came back, took one look at Poe, and grinned wolfishly.

“Well, well, well, what have we here? The deputy chief, waiting for me under the mistletoe?”

Poe started, glancing upwards quickly. There it was, hung innocently at the top of the archway: a sprig of mistletoe.

“Oh, I wasn’t - that is, I wasn’t trying to - I’ll just - “ He went to move further into the ballroom, but Finn raced around and cut him off, bracing his hands on either side of the doorway. Poe was trapped.

“Not so fast, hotshot. Rules are rules. We can’t just break tradition. Come on, what’s one kiss?”

What’s one kiss? What’s one kiss? It was easy enough for Finn to say “What’s one kiss?”, he didn’t have a stake in this. He hadn’t spent countless hours dreaming about this moment. He wouldn’t be heartbroken when it was over. Finn hadn’t spent the past six months carefully protecting his heart, carefully holding back, carefully monitoring his every word, his every expression, so as not to scare the other man away. Finn hadn’t been a heartsick fool since day one. What’s one kiss, he says. Like it’s simple.

“Finn, I - “ But Poe didn’t get to finish that thought. Or possibly any thought after that for the rest of time, because Finn was kissing him. Finn was kissing him, and Poe’s entire world slipped away. He’d grabbed Poe by his vest (“Three piece suits, BB, I’m bringing them back. I’m gonna be the classiest guy at this party, just you wait.” “You’re an idiot, Poe.” “But a _classy_ idiot.”), and literally pulled him into the kiss. It was an abrupt collision, with Poe mid-sentence and unprepared, but Finn tilted his head just so and - oh.

Poe let out a quiet moan and his eyes slipped closed. If he was only gonna get one kiss, he was gonna make it count. He’d deal with the consequences once his brain started working again. Finn’s hands slid from where they’d been resting on his vest down to his waist, before wrapping around his midsection, pulling Poe even closer, their chests flush against each other. Poe gasped at the sudden closeness, and Finn took that as permission to flick his tongue into the other man’s mouth. Poe whimpered, wrapping his arms around Finn’s neck, trying to pull him even closer, until he didn’t know where one of them began and the other ended.

Just as abruptly as it had begun, the kiss ended. Finn pulled back, eyes wide, his hands falling away from Poe. Why had Finn stopped? He shouldn’t do that. He should be kissing Poe. He should always be kissing Poe, from now on.

“Poe, I - “

“Finn!” He was cut off by Jess calling his name. They both turned to see Jess running toward them, looking harried. “There’s a typo in the President’s speech! We’ve already given the press their copies to take notes on, they’re all gonna see! _In_ successful isn’t a word! Finn, help me!”

Finn looked between Poe and Jess, but before he could think of anything more to say to the former, the latter was already dragging him away.

This was the part where Poe’s brain started working again, and he dealt with the consequences. The regret started to sink in, as well as the panic. He’d shown his hand, now. There was no way Finn didn’t know now, not after how Poe’d responded to that kiss. Not after the way Poe had gently cradled Finn’s head, his jaw, in his hands, the way he’d pressed against the younger man, practically falling into him, the way he’d chased Finn’s mouth when the man had pulled away. Not after that.

He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. He checked his watch. 10:30. Only an hour to go.

 

-

 

Poe came in at 8 o’clock on Christmas Day. The office was mostly empty: almost all the interns and assistants had taken off for the holiday. Poe had come in last Christmas, too. His parents were both dead, after all, and all the people he really cared about were at the White House, working with him. An extremely hungover Jess waved at him from the coffee machine, wincing at the fluorescent lights in the bullpen. Finn’s office door was open. Of course: He hadn’t any family either. Naturally, he’d be in as well. Rey was surely wandering around somewhere: her father (the General’s brother) was always on some sabbatical around the holidays.

He ducked into his office before Finn could see him: better to put off that particular conversation for as long as possible.

He’d just settled in, grabbing a pen to start filling out some paperwork when his door was slammed open and shut quickly by an agitated Rey.

“We’ve got a problem,” she whispered, as if someone might hear through his closed door.

Normally when Rey barged into his office, it was to yell at him. Now, although she was definitely stressed, Rey seemed anxious, almost like she was concerned for him. He went to ask her what was going on when she slapped a copy of a local newspaper on his desk. There, right on the front page, were two pictures. The first was Poe and Finn, mid-kiss. Of course it was. But the other was much worse, at least for Poe. It was the immediate aftermath, right after Finn had pulled back. The look on Poe’s face was nothing short of sickening. It was so filled with devotion, with wonder, with joy; it was clear that he was in love.

“So I’m guessing everyone has seen this?”

“If by ‘everyone’, you mean Finn, I have no idea. If by ‘everyone’, you mean _everyone_ , then yes. Everyone has seen it. It’s all over the internet. I’m sorry, Poe.”

He shook his head, shell-shocked. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I wasn’t being careful, and now you have to deal with this shitshow.”

“Poe, this is gonna fuck up your entire life, and you’re concerned about my _P.R. problems?_ ”

“It was only a matter of time before it got out, really,” he shrugged.

She sighed. “At least Finn’s managed to get out of this one. Could you imagine having to handle both of you being outed? I might as well just out all four of us at that point.”

Poe took a closer look at the photos: they had been taken from inside the ballroom. It was definitely Poe, there was no denying, but he could have been kissing anyone. He couldn’t see Finn’s face.

There was a knock at his door. “Poe? It’s Finn. Can I come in?”

Poe shot Rey an alarmed look. He couldn’t handle this right now. What was he going to do? What was he going to say? He’d planned on avoiding Finn until the end of time, and here he was knocking on his door.

Rey pulled the door open, giving Finn a grin before going into her office across the bullpen.

They stood in his office silently, both unsure of what to say.

Eventually, Poe spoke.

“So, did you - “  
“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Finn paused, looking down at his hands nervously. “Poe, in that second photo, the way you’re looking at me -”

Poe stood up abruptly. He couldn’t deal with this right now. He didn’t know if he could handle getting outed and having his heart broken all at once.

“Look, Finn, as much as I’m looking forward to your inevitable rejection, I should really go talk to the President.”

“Poe - “

Poe paused at the door, not daring to look at Finn. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

He walked out, not waiting for an answer. True to his word, he headed straight for the oval office. He knew the President was in there, that she’d probably already seen the pictures. He went to knock on the door (her secretary had taken the day off), but lost his nerve. Instead, he sat on the couch in the waiting area.

He’d been sitting there for what felt like hours when Lando came in, sitting down next to him. He wrapped an arm around Poe, pulling the shorter man against him.

“She’s not angry, Poe.”

He sighed, resting his head on Lando’s shoulder. “I just didn’t want her to have to deal with all this.”

The door to the oval office swung open. Poe shot up from his seat at the sight of the President standing in the doorway. She smiled gently. “Poe, would you come in here for a moment?”

He nodded, swallowing thickly. She sat on one of the couches, gesturing for Poe to join her. He sat nervously, anticipating a briefing, a reprimand, or even a request for his resignation. Instead:

“How are you holding up, honey?”

Poe stared. “I - Madam President - you’re - what?”

President Organa grasped his hand, squeezing gently. She just looked at him expectantly.

“I’m -” he paused. How was he? He’d been so concerned about what Finn would think, what the President would think, that he hadn’t stopped to really breathe, really let it sink in. Poe’s life would never be the same. Being gay in the Air Force had been enough of a challenge. Hell, being gay in the White House was already a challenge, now it was even more complicated. Every news station in the country was going to be talking about him. The White House would start getting hate mail about _him_ , about his sexuality, instead of their policies. He froze. People were going to hate him. They were going to talk about him, and judge him, and hate him. This moment would be the elephant in the room from now on. This was going to change everything.

He wasn’t ashamed of who he was. He wasn’t. But he didn’t need the rest of the country looking at him.

Was the room getting smaller? Was the air getting thinner?

“Madam President - Leia - I don’t know if I can handle this. I don’t know if I’m ready, if I’m strong enough - “

She pulled Poe to her, just holding him while he shook, while he gasped for breath through his tightening chest. She held him through what he later realized was a panic attack. She ran her fingers through his hair, murmuring words of comfort as he calmed down.

“You haven’t called me Leia since the election.”

Poe smiled, before pulling back. “Well, President Organa, we have to maintain some sense of decorum. If I start calling you Leia again, it’ll be anarchy. And by anarchy, I mean Lando will slap me upside the head for being unprofessional.”

She grinned. “You’ll be fine, sweetie. You’re a tough cookie.”

Poe frowned. “Yeah, but who wants a tough cookie? Tough cookies are always the burnt ones that no one can get their teeth into.”

The President whacked him on the arm. “I’m trying to be comforting, and you’re taking apart my idioms? What kind of - “

“Thank you, Madam President.” Poe cut her off with a smile, taking her hand. She sighed, patting his knee before getting up. She bent down, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

“Get out of here, hotshot. Go irritate some senators or whatever it is you do.”

“You know, I’d like to reiterate that no one has ever really told me the specifics of my job. I’m just sort of wandering from meeting to meeting aimlessly pretending like I know what I’m doing.”

“I’m sure no one’s caught on, honey.”

“Are you gonna call me honey every time I get sad?”

“I can switch to jackass if it would make you more comfortable.”

 

-

 

When Poe came into work the next day, it was to the sight of twenty reporters in the White House lobby. He froze, prepared to turn heel and go in through the tourist entrance, when one of them caught sight of him.  
“Mr. Dameron! Any comment on the salacious pictures circling the internet?”

Poe stared incredulously. “Salacious? What is this, a harlequin romance novel? Which paper do you write for? I want to spice up my reading habits.”

“Mr. Dameron, how long were you intending to stay in the closet?”

“Mr. Dameron, did your commanding officers in the Air Force know that you were gay?”

“Mr. Dameron, was there pressure from the President to keep your sexuality quiet?”

Poe went to angrily defend President Organa, as he always did, when someone yanked his arm, pulling him through the security checkpoints and into the bullpen.

“Goddamnit Dameron, can you at least wait until your morning coffee before putting your foot in your mouth?”

“I didn’t say anything!”

Rey leveled him with a glare. “You were going to. Cursing out a reporter right after you’ve been outed against your will would be a little much.”

“I wasn’t going to yell at him about that.”

“No, you were going to yell at him about implying something not nice about the President.”

“Exactly!”

“Poe, one incident at a time, please.”

“Poe!” BB yelled. He groaned. Now what? He turned to greet his assistant, only to have her barrel into him.

“BB?” he rasped out from his assistant’s stranglehold.

“I can’t believe you didn’t call me! Are you okay? Do you need a hug?”

“...BB, you _are_ hugging me.”

“Yeah but like, the serious kind.”

“This isn’t the serious kind?”

“The serious kind involves you crying on my shoulder.”

He pulled back, extricating himself from her vice-like grip. “BB, I’m fine. Go terrorize some interns.”

Rey pulled him along, into Lando’s office, where Jess, Finn, and Lando were all arguing. Jess was placating a furious Finn.

“It’s not fair to Poe! He has to deal with the backlash from this, but we’re both in the picture. We should at least face this together.”

“Finn, Rey is already dealing with the shitstorm from the press, she doesn’t need added drama right now.”

“I’m not gonna hide my head in the sand! Poe needs support!”

Lando clapped his hand on Finn’s shoulder. “He has it.”

He turned to Poe, face solemn. “All the calls from asshole religious groups and angry conservatives are being redirected to my office. You know why?”

“...because you love me?”

“No, because you have a meeting with three military lawyers on funding policies and you should be focused on that. I know you’ve prepped, but go over your files again, okay? A lot’s happened in these past few days, and you could use a brush up.”

Rey started to argue: “Poe doesn’t need that kind of stress right now - “

“What Poe needs,” Lando interrupted, “is to be treated just as he always is.”

“Yeah, but Lando -”

“He’s right,” Poe said, “I’ve been outed, not shot. I don’t need you guys to coddle me.”

He made eye contact with Finn, holding it for a moment. “I’ll be okay. And the more we act like everything’s back to normal, the sooner it actually will be.”

 

-

 

“Will O’Malley is coming by this afternoon.”

Poe looked up at Rey in shock.

“From First Order News? Why the flying fuck would you invite _him_ here?” Will O’Malley was the most pompous, small-minded piece of shit who ever had the gall to show his face on screen. He hadn’t stopped harping on about the President’s gay agenda since Poe had been outed nearly a month ago.

Poe hated him. Everyone hated him. Well, everyone Poe liked hated him.

“Because he’s doing an interview in the mural room.”

Poe froze. “Is this about the thing?”  
“Not officially, but I’m sure it’ll come up in a big way.”

“Rey, I cannot express enough to you how bad an idea it would be to put me in the same room as Will O’Malley, or how stupid it would be to think I would be civil.”

“Well then it’s a good thing the President’s the one doing the interview, not you.”

“But why?”

“She wanted to.”

“The President, who rarely gives one-on-one interviews, let alone interviews in the White House, wants to do both those things with _Will O’Malley_?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want me to be there?”

“I wouldn’t miss it if I were you.”

 

-

 

“I’m here now with President Leia Organa, discussing real problems for real people.”

“I hate that tagline,” Poe whispered to Jess from where they were standing off camera, “it implies that the people who support First Order are real people.”

The President and the anchor had been exchanging false pleasantries for the past five minutes, but the way O’Malley’s eyes kept sliding over to Poe every so often did not fill him with confidence. “This isn’t going to go well.”

Jess smirked. “It really, really is.”

He turned to her, confused. “Is there something you all know that I don’t? Rey was remarkably calm about this as well.”

She just smiled and turned to watch the interview. The President was talking about some new legislation being introduced into congress.

“Now, Madam President, I have to ask-”

“You want to know about Poe Dameron.”

“Yes. You haven’t given any comment on the matter.”

“That would be because I don’t care.”

Poe started. What?

O’Malley seemed equally puzzled by her answer..

“Ma’am, Mr. Dameron has been lying about his sexuality for years. How did you react when you found out?”

“Well now, I’d have to think back on that one,” she started, “You see, Commander Dameron came out to me twenty years ago, when he was 14,” The President smiled politely, leaning back and crossing her legs. She’d always been good with interviews, even more so when she didn’t have to censor herself. “Commander Dameron - Poe - hasn’t exactly been in the closet. His family knew, the staff knows, his friends know: nobody cares. He just wanted to avoid unwanted attention from the press. He didn’t want, for example, uninformed people going on national television and talking about his sexuality.”

“Don’t you think that voters, that families, deserved to know that there is a homosexual on the President’s staff? That they deserved to know what kind of people the White House associates with?”

The President leveled O’Malley with an assessing stare. “If you’re assuming that only one of the 1300 people who work on the White House staff is a member of the LGBT community, I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong you are.”

O’Malley ignored her response, continuing on. “I’m talking about family values, Madam President. Families, children, are going to see those pictures, those indiscretions. I’m not against the gays, Madam President. I am not homophobic. But we should not be subjected to indecent, public displays like this.”

The President looked over at her senior staff: Jess, Rey, and Finn looked as if they were ready to murder O’Malley, cameras be damned. Lando, however, just gave her a wink. Poe wasn’t quite sure what that could mean, but he was intrigued.

“Let me show you something, Mr. O’Malley,” she gestured for Lando to come over, and he handed her a file. She pulled out two photos: the ones of Poe and Finn at the gala. “I’m sure you recognize these: they’re practically all you’ve been talking about for the past month,” She pulled out a pile of other photos. “Here are some other pictures from that event, all of people kissing under the mistletoe. There’s one of my husband and myself, Lando Calrissian and his wife, and oh, look, you and your wife. Now I would hope that you weren’t implying that a young, gay, interracial couple were being indecent by kissing under the very same mistletoe that you yourself had been under only an hour before. Because let me tell you: I have known Poe Dameron nearly his whole life, and I have never seen him so in love. It would be a damn shame if you were trying to say that he didn’t have a right to display that affection in the same way you and your wife do.”

“Ma’am, don’t you think that Mr. Dameron - “

“ _Commander_ Dameron.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Commander Dameron. If you’re going to spend your time insulting him on national television, call him by his proper title. If you’re going to call him ‘the queer one’, as you did last week, or ‘a flaming homo’, like you did on Wednesday, then use his rank. As you and your associates continually attack him and invade his privacy, I want you to remember just who you’re talking about. You are talking about decorated war veteran Commander Poe Dameron, who was a P.O.W. in enemy territory for 8 months before he was recovered. You are talking about three time Purple Heart Recipient Poe Dameron, about Commander Poe Dameron, recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. I want you to remember that you have not only offended the entire LGBT community and many U.S. veterans in your handling of Poe’s outing, but me as well. When you discuss the personal business of the President’s Deputy Chief of Staff, I want you to remember that he is a person, one who I care very deeply for.”

“Madam President-”

“We’re done here, Mr. O’Malley.”

Poe had spent the past few minutes staring at the President in awe. This woman, who he’d idolized for his entire life, was defending him, was proud of his accomplishments. This woman, who he would lay down his life for without a second thought, was fighting for him. The President was publicly attacking First Order News, for his sake.

She stood, walking over to Poe.

“How was that, jackass?” she smirked.

Without thinking, Poe pulled her into a tight hug, burying his tear-streaked face in her neck. He felt her chuckle as she gently returned the embrace, rocking him softly. “I love you too, Leia,” he whispered thickly. He pulled back, wiping his eyes. She gave him a soft kiss on the forehead, patting him on the arm.

“I’d go deal with Finn now. I did declare your love to the public before you did to Finn.”

“Shit.”

“Watch your language, Dameron. I’ll have you know you’re speaking to the President of the United States.”

 

-

 

Poe was hiding.

Well, hiding was perhaps an overstatement. More accurately, he was waiting in Jess’s office until Finn either went home or quit.

The door banged open. It would seem that his plan had failed.

“The President has never seen you so in love, huh?”

Poe winced. “Finn, I - “  
“You’ve been avoiding me for nearly a month, and the President has never seen you so in love. I’m confused. Are you confused? Because I definitely am.”

“Listen - “

“No _you_ listen. You know, everyone’s talked a lot about those pictures. But you and I, we’ve never talked about those pictures. Or the kiss itself, for that matter.”

“Look, Finn, I didn’t want you to have to deal with me pining on top of all this bullshit. One look at that second picture and you could tell I was a goner. I didn’t want to add ‘heartbreak’ to the list of things that were fucking up my life.”

“You wouldn’t have _had_ to, if you’d just talked to me instead of hiding.”

“Yeah, well - what?”

Finn rolled his eyes before pulling Poe into a deep kiss. Poe sighed, practically melting into the kiss, before he came to his senses and pulled away.  
“Finn, what are you trying to say here?”

Poe had never seen Finn look so unimpressed. “Poe. I love you too. You’d think that kiss just now would have clued you in.”

“But- Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“You wouldn’t _let_ me, idiot!”

Poe grinned. “You love me.”

Finn sighed. “Yes, Poe, I love you.”

“You _love_ me.”

“Are you just gonna keep repeating that or - “ Finn was cut off as Poe kissed him gently.Poe pulled back after a while, staring at Finn in wonder.

“You love me,” he said softly, joyously.

Finn’s expression softened, and he took Poe’s face in his hands. “Yes, I do. And you love me.”

Poe launched himself at Finn, laughing. Finn caught him, wrapping his arms around his waist and spinning him round. He set Poe down, before reaching up to wipe away the happy tears forming in the older man’s eyes. He kissed him softly. The two of them stood there for a while, just holding each other, lips coming together almost hesitantly, as if they were afraid to break this fragile moment.

They had no need to worry about ruining the moment themselves, as a throat being cleared behind them did the trick just fine.

They jumped apart, looking sheepishly at Jess, who was standing in the doorway.

“Is there a reason why this is happening in my office and not one of yours? Like, say, Finn’s? Which is literally next door?”

“True love waits for no one, Jess,” Poe retorted. He looked over at Finn. “Why don’t we go talk in my office? I’m sure there’s a lot we both want to say.”

 

-

 

There wasn’t much talking in his office.

As soon as the door was closed, Finn pounced.

“I decided something on our way over here.”

“In the thirty second walk?”

“Yup. I decided that I’ve done my fair share of waiting.”

With that, he grabbed Poe by his jacket and pushed him against the door before pulling him into a searing kiss. Poe gasped as his back hit the door, and Finn took that opportunity to slip his tongue into the other man’s mouth. And - oh. _oh_.

Poe was going to die, he was sure of it. In order to breathe he would have to stop kissing Finn, and that was just unacceptable. Death by suffocation wasn’t worth breaking away.

One of Finn’s hands slid up his chest and into his hair, mouth sliding to his neck. Finn was sucking what was sure to be an impressive hickey into Poe’s neck, pulling him back by his hair to get better access. At this, Poe let out a quiet moan. Finn stopped his ministrations on Poe’s neck to look at the other man, eyes wide. He tugged at Poe’s hair experimentally, and he _whimpered_.

Finn groaned, kissing him hungrily. His hands stayed in Poe’s hair as he all but devoured the other man’s mouth. Poe’s hands slid to Finn’s ass, pulling him against him, desperate for friction against his hard cock.  Finn took the hint, slotting his thigh between Poe’s legs, lining up with his crotch. Poe moaned as he began to grind his leg against his cock, the pressure _so good_. Finn stared down, mesmerized by the sight of Poe all rutting against him. He looked at Poe, eyes wild.

“This is the part where we come to our senses and realize that we can’t fuck in the White House.”

Poe whined, high and needy. “ _No_ , no no no that’s not what’s gonna happen, you’re gonna fuck me right here, right now. Technically I’m your boss, I could _order_ you to fuck me senseless.”

At that, Finn slammed him against the door again, nipping at Poe’s lip as he pulled him into a searing kiss.

“You’re going to kill me,” he hissed against Poe’s mouth. He pulled back, looking around Poe’s office. “There’s a couch in my office, we can-”

“Too far away, I can’t wait that long,” Poe gasped, pushing Finn until he was sat in the chair behind his desk. He climbed onto Finn’s lap, slotting their hips together before grinding down against him. Finn moaned, grabbing Poe’s ass, pulling him impossibly closer. He pushed off Poe’s suit jacket before pulling off his tie and unbuttoning his shirt distractedly. Once Poe’s chest was exposed, Finn didn’t bother to push it off his shoulders, attaching his mouth to the juncture of his neck and shoulder. When Finn bit down, Poe let out a high keen, before pushing him away.

“Your turn, come on, let me see,” he whined, undoing Finn’s shirt with shaking hands. He ran his hands over Finn’s bare chest, sliding his hands down to his belt. At Finn’s nod, he undid the belt before pulling his cock out of his pants.

“Wow,” he breathed. Finn was huge, his hard dick dark and leaking. “I can’t wait to get my mouth on you, until you fucking _choke_ me with your cock,” Finn groaned, dick twitching at the thought. Poe laughed breathlessly. “But right now, I need you inside me before I lose my mind.”

Finn pushed Poe off his lap in order to undo his belt and divest him of his pants, nearly knocking the man to the floor in his haste. Soon Poe was naked from the waist down, shirt still hanging off his shoulders. Finn stared at Poe, taking him in.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered reverently. Poe flushed, leaning down to kiss him gently. Before turning around to sift through his desk drawers. “Poe, what are you - “ he was cut off by Poe’s cry of victory. He turned to show Finn the bottle of lube he’d unearthed from underneath a sea of old paperwork. Finn raised an eyebrow, and he blushed even more deeply.

“Look, there’s a lot of late nights, okay? We all need some stress relief sometimes.”

Finn rolled his eyes, laughing as he pulled Poe onto his lap again. They both groaned as their now naked cocks lined up against each other. Finn took the both of them in his hand, jerking them off together. His hand was helped along by the precome leaking from both of their cocks, and Poe moaned at the sight. He scrambled to get the lid to the lube open, slicking his fingers before pushing two into himself at once. It burned, but he knew he could take it. He needed to get Finn inside him as soon as possible. A little sting was more than worth it.

Suddenly his hands were slapped away, Finn’s fingers replacing his own. He gasped, eyes slipping closed. Finn slowly started to pump his fingers into his hole, adjusting his angle based on Poe’s responses. He grinned when Poe whimpered, eyes shooting open. “There it is.”

“Finn, please. _Please_ ,” Poe panted, mouth falling open.

Finn pulled his fingers out of Poe, lightly tracing the bad of his thumb against his rim. “I don’t have a condom. There’s one in my office - “

Poe all but slammed his desk drawer open, pulling out his wallet and the condom he always kept in it. He tore it open with shaking hands, batting away Finn's slick hands to roll it on the other man's cock himself.

Finn groaned, lining up the head of his cock against Poe’s rim, before slipping in gently. Poe gasped breathlessly as Finn started to slowly push in. It was too much, and not enough all at the same time. He couldn’t wait. He needed all of Finn, as soon as possible. He snapped his hips down until he was fully seated on Finn’s cock, the younger man moaning desperately at the sudden tightness. They sat there for a time, letting Poe catch his breath. Slowly, Poe started to grind his hips down, pulling a whine from Finn’s lips.

Finn’s hands were wandering all over Poe’s chest, like he didn’t know where to touch, where to stop. He pulled at Poe’s nipples, leaning over to bite at one when Poe’s breath hitched at the contact. He reached around, resting his hand against Poe’s rim, just to feel his cock as it slipped in and out of his hole.

Poe kissed Finn deeply, trying to convey how overwhelmed, how desperate he was.

He pulled back. “Finn, please. _Fuck_ me.”

Finn moaned hoarsely before snapping his hips up into Poe. At the other man’s groan, he set a brutal pace, Poe pushing down to meet him at every thrust of hips. Poe couldn’t tell if he was riding Finn or if Finn was fucking him. It didn’t matter really. It was a team effort.

Finn buried his face into the juncture between Poe’s neck and shoulder, biting down in his pleasure. Poe was faring no better, nails scratching against Finn’s chest as he threw his head back.

Just as Poe started to tense up, hurtling towards his orgasm, Finn pulled back, looking at Poe with dark eyes.

“God, I love you.”

Poe’s breath hitched, and he was sent hurtling over the edge, shaking as he covered Finn’s chest with his come. Finn groaned as Poe’s hole tightened around his cock, wringing his own orgasm from him.

They were silent for a time, just breathing each other in. Poe started to laugh breathlessly, leaning his head against Finn’s.

“What’s so funny?” Finn whispered, pushing his hands under Poe’s shirt, rubbing his back gently.

“Nothing. I just don’t know what to do with myself. I’m so happy.”

Finn grinned. “I know the feeling.”

 

-

 

They emerged from Poe’s office ten minutes later, looking thoroughly debauched. They paused at the sight of the empty bullpen.

“Where - ?”

“I cleared them out. Sent them on errands and whatnot. You’re welcome, by the way,” Jess was leaning against one of desks, looking smug. “Congratulations.”

Finn flushed darkly while Poe grinned. He checked his watch. 11:00.

“Senior staff?”

“Senior staff.”

The three of them walked together toward Lando’s office for their nightly debriefing. When they walked in, Rey took one look at Poe and Finn and started cracking up. Lando just raised a brow.

“I’ll let it slide this time boys, in the name of true love.”

 

-

 

Finn stayed at Poe’s that night, and the night after that, and the night after that. After about two weeks of this pattern, Poe turned to Finn at the breakfast table one morning and asked him to move in. Finn paused, fork halfway to his mouth.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Poe shrugged. “You’ve been basically living here for two weeks. Your stuff is already taking over my apartment. Besides, we practically lived together already. It’s not like we ever leave the White House.”

“Okay.”

“I know it’s really fast, and I’m sorry if I’m freaking you out, but - okay?”

“Okay. I’ll move in with you.”

They were late to work that morning. Neither were particularly regretful.

 

-

 

“You should tell the press.”

“What? Why? Do you remember what happened the last time the press got involved in my personal life?”

Rey shrugged. “It’ll be good PR. The public loves you, especially after the President’s little speech on First Order. That picture of her kissing your forehead is going on the cover of _Time Magazine_ , for Christ’s sake. Besides, there’s nothing like a little good news to distract the press from the other shit that’s going on.”

“What other shit is going on?”

“Ben punched Governor Hux in the face. At an election rally.”

“Yikes.”

 

-

 

The next day, Poe found himself at the Press Secretary’s podium, facing a sea of reporters.

“So, uh. I figured people might want an update, seeing as being gay is apparently the most important thing I’ve done in the past six months,” the crowd laughed. “A lot of people have been asking about the man in the pictures from that party. Well, not a lot. More like everyone,” more laughter. He gestured for Finn to come forward, standing next to him. “Here he is. Deputy Chief of Communications Finn Trooper. Surprise?”

The room practically exploded. Cameras started flashing, reporters started shouting: it was kind of incredible. Poe gestured for silence.

“We’ve decided to go public with this relationship in the hopes that you all will stop digging into my personal life. That’s it, the last secret. You’ve got the whole scoop.”

Finn leaned over to speak into the mic. “We thought it might be a comfort to gay youths in the country to know that there are people in Washington who get it, who care. The letters of support Poe has been receiving from the public have been very moving, and we want to give back.”

At that, Poe and Finn moved away, heading back into the bullpen. Poe had a meeting with Secretary Ackbar about a military situation emerging in D’Qar, and Finn had a speech for an international visit to write: their lives didn’t revolve around their relationship. As they left, they heard Rey take to the podium.

“All right. That’s enough gossip for today, don’t you think? Can we get back to politics?”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> shout out to gammadolphin for beta-ing!
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr! (senatorgana)
> 
> (Get it? Governor Hux? Governor Hux(abee?)
> 
> edit Jan 2: it was pointed out to me that some of the language i used in the sex scene was irresponsible when it came to safe sex and S.T.I.-stigma, so i've made some tweaks :)


End file.
